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historical %>ketcl) of tfte 

&2Jasi)tngton headquarters 


PREPARED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF 


Cf)c UMbitt plains Chapter 

Daughters of ttte 2tmertean ftetoolutton 

// 


By Elizabeth G. H. Coles {Mrs. Selleck E.) 
Chapter Historian 



HOUSE PURCHASED IN 1917 BY THE 

Countp of Kaestcijester 

Hestoreb lip the Mlfnte plains Chapter, 2D. a. &. 

Mrs. Jeremiah T. Lockwood. Regent 
Mrs. Edward M. West, Vice-Regent 
Mrs. Frank V. Fowler. Secretary 


ALEXANDER McMILLAN WELCH. Consulting Architect 





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White Plains Chapter 

DaLG-*ERS C - T - E A « ERICAS pE.C__"CS 



‘ 923 


OCT 26 73 '' 

©S A 763200 Q/ 




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WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS 

















CONTENTS. 


I. Introduction. 

II. Importance of the Locality During the Rev¬ 
olution with An Account of the Battle of 
White Plains. 

III. A Short Sketch of the Miller Family. 

IV. The House and Its Contents. 

V. Acknowledgments. 

VI. Bibliography. 






















I. 


© 


INTRODUCTION. 

'ITH the on-rush of progress and time’s 
rapid fleeting, little thought is given by the 
majority of people to the preservation of 
historic houses and relics. Every succeeding year 
marks the passing of some ancient landmark, now 
all too rare in this land where history was made and 
where were enacted some of the bravest deeds in 
our country’s annals. 

Some thoughtful ones there are, of course, who, 
turning the pages of history, pause and endeavor to 
visualize the scenes of by-gone days, and long to see, 
if only for a moment, this region so familiar to us 
just as it appeared in Revolutionary Times. Alas, 
this can be done only in imagination. When cameras 
were unknown and print-making an imperfect and 
expensive process, hand-drawn sketches or paintings 
were the principal means of preserving these scenes, 
and were very rare and by no means always ac¬ 
curate. 

Here and there we find a house that has survived 
its contemporaries, and if we enter we may look 
forth from the very windows from which our fore¬ 
fathers gazed in the days long past. The surround¬ 
ings are changed, but as we look out upon the land¬ 
scape and again turn our eyes inward and view the 
rooms with their sturdy rafters and massive flooring, 
we seem to look into the lives and environment of 
those who reared the house and dwelt therein and 
those who followed them. 

“They builded better than they knew,” those 
sturdy men of old—for their dwellings they laid 


9 


strong and broad foundations; for the liberty and 
freedom of those to come after them, they laid 
foundations equally strong and broad. 

Let us spare no effort to preserve the few remain¬ 
ing houses of Colonial and Revolutionary Times, 
while we enjoy the blessings of the Liberty for 
which they worked and fought and died. 

How many citizens of this and neighboring com¬ 
munities have visited or given a thought to the an¬ 
cient house so near us—the Headquarters of Gen¬ 
eral Washington when at White Plains, which was 
occupied by him (adding together the times of his 
several stays here) longer than any other house in 
the State of New York while the war was in actual 
progress? True, the Hasbrouck House at New¬ 
burgh was occupied longer as an official residence, 
but that was after the fighting was over and the 
Government was only waiting until the peace treaties 
were signed to disband the Continental Army. 

If one journeys along the old Post Road leading 
from New York to Danbury, Connecticut, which in 
White Plains is now called Broadway with stately 
trees shading its broad driveways and beautiful park 
(once the old Village Common), one is indeed trav¬ 
ersing historic ground. Starting at the monument 
erected by the White Plains Chapter, Daughters of 
the American Revolution, in front of the Tenth 
Regiment Armory, which marks the birthplace of 
the State of New York, the site of the old White 
Plains Court House, from the steps of which the 
Declaration of Independence was officially read on 
July 9th for the first time in the State, we may fol¬ 
low northward the road on which General Wash¬ 
ington traveled so often to and from his head¬ 
quarters about a mile above. 

Clustered about the original Court House, burned 
shortly after the Battle of White Plains, were the 


10 


homes and shops of the old village. About a quarter 
of a mile further on at our left is the Presbyterian 
Churchyard where several Revolutionary soldiers 
were laid to rest; beyond this as we ascend the hill, 
we see an ancient mortar partly embedded in a 
mound, which marks the site of the sod fort of 
1776. From this fortification the American line 
of entrenchments thrown up just before the Battle 
of White Plains stretched away on the left to Hor¬ 
ton’s Pond, now Silver Lake, and to the right, west 
across Dusenbury Hill to the Bronx River and 
Chatterton Hill. 

Soon our road leads down hill and across a brook, 
where we come to a parting of the ways distin¬ 
guished for so many years by the great white oak 
tree named as a landmark in the early Indian deeds 
and in the original survey of the boundaries of 
White Plains for the Royal Patent of 1721. This 
tree so familiar to many was broken off not long 
ago and now only a few feet of the trunk remains 
of this once mighty king of the forest. However, 
even in its decline it is still a landmark, for it bears 
a sign which directs us to Washington’s Headquar¬ 
ters. Taking the less traveled road at the left of 
the oak tree, we come in a few minutes to the old 
Elijah Miller House, the Headquarters of Wash¬ 
ington while at White Plains. 

Bolton’s description of the dwelling and its situar 
tion written many years ago may apply quite well 
today, for the immediate surroundings are but little 
changed. He says: “The headquarters of Washing¬ 
ton while stationed here were at a small farm house 
to the north of the village, situated amid a deep 
solitude of woods surrounded by hills and wild ro¬ 
mantic scenery.” 

The house is indeed nearly hidden by the hills and 
one is at the gate before it is seen. Let us not pass 


11 


carelessly by, however, for the quaint artistic sign¬ 
board, designed and presented by Mr. Alexander 
McMillan Welch, hanging above the gate informs 
us that we have reached our destination—that this 
is the entrance to Washington’s Headquarters. 

Thishistorichouseand the land about it had passed 
through many changes in ownership during the past 
fifty years and was gradually becoming delapidated 
and had a sadly neglected appearance. While visit¬ 
ors interested in our country’s historic places, occa¬ 
sionally stopped to look on this one time home of 
our great General and inscribe their names in the 
visitors’ book, no decisive movement was taken 
toward the preservation of the property prior to 
1916. 

It had for some time been the aim and desire of 
the White Plains Chapter, Daughters of the Amer¬ 
ican Revolution, to have this long-neglected house 
that the Commander-in-Chief made famous, nay 
sacred, by his presence restored and set apart as a 
cherished landmark of Revolutionary days, but the 
undertaking seemed almost too great for a small 
band of women to accomplish. However, a great 
object to be attained calls forth a correspondingly 
great effort and so, realizing that if nothing be 
attempted nothing is won, the Chapter members set 
to work. The first step was the securing of a one 
year option on the property from the owner, Mr. 
Charles Kaiser in September, 1916. Then came the 
discussion of ways and means of raising funds for 
the purchase and plans for repairing and restoring 
the house. After careful consideration it was 
thought best to ask the Board of Supervisors to 
buy the property for the County of Westchester. 
It seemed more fitting that this county where so 
much Revolutionary history was enacted should 
own on behalf of its sons and daughters this house 


12 


and bit of land of such great interest to all, rather 
than an individual, a society or even a single town. 
Accordingly, the Chapter went before the Board of 
Supervisors with a petition, asking that body to 
make the purchase, that the Headquarters might be 
preserved for our time and for the generations to 
come. 

The Chapter Regent, Mrs. J. T. Lockwood, in 
a few words explained to the Board the purpose of 



BOARD OF MANAGERS 

Left to right, standing—Stephen Holden, Charles Everett 
Moore, Henry R. Barrett. 

Left to right, sitting—Mrs. Frank L. Park, Mrs. Jeremiah 
T. Lockwood, Chairman; Mrs. Frank V. Fowler, Mrs. Selleck 
E. Coles, D. A. R. Historian; Mrs. Edward M. West. 


the petition, and urged its favorable consideration. 
The petition had the endorsement of the Bronx 
and New Rochelle Chapters, D. A. R., of Mount 
Vernon and New Rochelle respectively, of the 
McKeel Post, G. A. R., of Katonah, and other pa¬ 
triotic organizations, as well as the local press. 


13 










The Supervisors voted in favor of the purchase, 
but then came the question of establishing a prece¬ 
dent. As far as it is known, no county had ever be¬ 
fore taken title to an historic site. 

It was necessary therefore for the State Legisla¬ 
ture to empower the Board to consummate the pur¬ 
chase. A proper bill was accordingly prepared and 
placed before the former body by Senator Slater. 
The bill passed both houses and became a special 
Act granting the county the right to acquire the 
property; it was signed by Governor Whitman on 
April twenty-third, 1917; July third the sale was 
completed and on August 6th a Board of Managers 
was appointed by the Board of Supervisors of 
Westchester County. 

All this necessitated a great deal of detail work 
which was ably carried to a successful conclusion by 
the Regent of the White Plains Chapter with the 
assistance of her officers and members. 

The Chapter having obtained permission to re¬ 
store the Headquarters House, at once undertook 
to raise the necessary funds. Though the building 
was practically the same as when Washington made 
it his home, some minor changes had been made in 
the interior and there was much repairing and reno¬ 
vating to be done. 

The money required was raised by private sub¬ 
scription and the work was carried forward with 
so much energy and efficiency that it was possible 
to open the house to the public on the One Hundred 
and Forty-first Anniversary of the Battle of White 
Plains. As the twenty-eighth of October fell on 
Sunday in 1917, the exercises commemorating the 
event were held on Saturday, the twenty-seventh. 
It was most fitting that the annual Battle Day. 
Celebration should take place on this historic 
ground, and it was a very happy occasion for the 


14 


Chapter members, who were thus repaid for their 
long months of hard work. 

The ceremonies began by the Regent in a short 
address turning over the restored house to the 
County of Westchester. The Chairman of the 
Board of Supervisors, the Honorable Charles D. 
Millard, accepted on behalf of the County. The 
chief speaker of the afternoon was the Rev. Cyrus 
Townsend Brady, D.D., who was followed by sev¬ 
eral other prominent men who made brief address¬ 
es. Among the guests of honor were Mrs. Charles 
S. Whitman, wife of the Governor of New York; 
Mr. Louis Annin Ames, President of the Empire 
State Society Sons of the American Revolution; 
H on. Cornelius Pugsley, Hon. Ffarrington M. 
Thompson, Mayor of the City of White Plains; 
Hon. Charles D. Millard, Mr. Alexander McMil¬ 
lan Welch, Mr. John Leonard Merrill, and others. 
The Glee Club of the White Plains High School 
sang several patriotic songs, which closed the pro¬ 
gram. 

Following the exercises Mrs. Whitman and the 
Regent received the guests in General Washington’s 
Council Room. Of great interest to the visitors 
were the mahogany table and the chair used by 
Washington in this very room during his stay in 
the Miller House. These were kindly loaned for 
the occasion by Mrs. H. M. Oakley, a descendant 
of Elijah Miller. With the antique furniture, the 
original built-in cupboard and the blazing log fire 
in the old chimney place, the room presented much 
the same appearance as it must have done in the 
days of Seventy-six. Altogether, the celebration was 
a most delightful one; even the weather was favor¬ 
able for holding the exercises out of doors, the day 
being unusually bright and warm for the time of 
year. 


15 









/ 

16 


FORMAL OPENING OF THE HOUSE TO PUBLIC ON OCTOBER 27, 1917 


















Another historic gathering at Washington’s 
Headquarters was on Saturday, May 11th, 1918, 
when the Liberty Pole and Flag given by the Empire 
State Society, S. A. R., was dedicated. Mr. Ames, 
the President, made the presentation speech and the 
Honorable George R. Werner, Chairman of the 
Board of Supervisors, accepted for the County. As 
Mrs. Whitman raised the flag on the staff, a detach¬ 
ment of soldiers and sailors stood at attention and 
saluted at the breaking out of the colors, while the 
bugle call rang out and all present joined in singing 
the Star Spangled Banner. 

Two tablets on the front of the house were un¬ 
veiled, one to George Washington presented by the 
White Pfains Chapter, D. A. R., and one for the 
Headquarters, placed by the Board of Supervisors 
of Westchester County. Col. W. Lanier Washing¬ 
ton, a great-great-great grandnephew of the Father 
of his Country and member of the Society of Cin¬ 
cinnati, gave an address on the history of the house; 
Miss Stella F. Broadhead, New York State Regent, 
D. A. R., spoke a few words of greeting, and the 
Honorable Elmer M. Wentworth, President Gen¬ 
eral, S. A. R., made a stirring speech, which was 
followed by a brilliant oration by Supreme Court 
Justice, Honorable Arthur S. Tompkins. 

Besides those just mentioned there were present 
the Vice-President General of the National Society, 
D. A. R., Mrs. Joseph Wood, Mrs. Simon Baruch, 
Regent of Knickerbocker Chapter, Regents of 
neighboring Chapters and many other distinguished 
guests. 


17 















II. 


THE IMPORTANCE OF WHITE PLAINS, 
AND THE BATTLE. 

After the defeat of the Americans on Long Is¬ 
land, August 27, 1776, Washington withdrew his 
troops by night, aided by fog and darkness, across 
to New York. The British soon followed, landing 
at Kip’s Bay, under the protection of the guns of 
their frigates that had come up the East River and 
anchored near Ward’s and Randall’s Islands. 

With the enemy in force on Manhattan it was 
now imperative for Washington to withdraw to the 
upper part of the Island. This he was able to do, 
and on the evening of September 15th the American 
Army was encamped on Harlem Heights. General 
Washington had his headquarters in the Roger 
Morris House, now often called the Jumel Mansion 
at 160th Street, near St. Nicholas Avenue. 

The next day occurred the Battle of Harlem 
Plains, called by Sir Henry Clinton “this scrape,” 
where the Americans were victorious; after this 
there was a pause in the hostilities, during which our 
troops were busy strengthening the works on Har¬ 
lem (now Washington) Heights above the Hollow 
Way, and in completing Fort Washington, which 
was fated to fall into the hands of the British two 
months later. 

At this time Washington held the lines of com¬ 
munication with the important New England States 
the main source of military supplies, and the whole 
of the Hudson River with the gates of the High¬ 
lands, which latter controlled the way to New Jer¬ 
sey and the South as well as the northern territory. 


19 


Pickets were posted to watch from the headlands, 
and Washington from his high position at the Mor¬ 
ris House commanded views of the Sound, the Hud¬ 
son and Harlem Rivers, a large part of Manhattan 
and a considerable area of southern Westchester 
County. 

Howe realized this espionage, and to mask his 
real intentions sent a number of vessels, including a 
frigate, up the Hudson. These passed unharmed 
by the gunfire from Forts Washington and Con¬ 
stitution and broke through the American chevaux- 
de-frise which it was vainly hoped would effectually 
bar the passage of British shipping. These vessels 
after capturing and burning some small boats, an¬ 
chored off Tarrytown. Washington immediately 
sent a detachment of about three hundred men to 
Tarrytown to watch the further movements of the 
enemy in this quarter and to prevent any attempt 
on their part to land troops from their vessels. 

On October eleventh great activity was noted in 
the British lines, and early on the morning of the 
twelfth nearly a hundred large boats full of Hes¬ 
sians left Montressor’s (Randall’s) Island and 
passed up to Throgg’s Point where they landed. 
Familiar to many of us is the story of how General 
Knyphausen’s troops were foiled in their attempt 
to march on up the neck toward the Village of 
Westchester by a small body of Americans under 
Col. Hand, who tore up the planks of a little wooden 
bridge over the causeway which connected the point 
with the main neck, the point being an island at 
high tide cut off from the mainland by a marshy 
inlet. The Hessians fell back, camped and threw 
up some earthworks. 

On the thirteenth Howe’s army arrived. Wash¬ 
ington had not been idle during the previous month, 
but spent most of his days on horseback visiting 


20 


the outposts on the Sound and exploring the hills 
west of the Bronx between Kingsbridge and White 
Plains; he also rode to Croton, King’s Ferry and 
Peekskill, and even crossed the Hudson to visit 
the posts of General Greene at Fort Constitution 
(Lee) on the Jersey shore. 

He caused a series of entrenched camps to be 
placed along the west side of the Bronx to be occu¬ 
pied by the troops, if necessary, in case of attack. 

The formation of the hills about White Plains 
and the important turnpikes leading through the 
town caused Washington early to realize the ex¬ 
pediency of holding the army in position there. 

At the time of the Revolution, though White 
Plains was but a small country village, it was of con¬ 
siderable importance, being the County Seat of 
Westchester County, and business center of the 
neighboring communities. 

Voters met at the Court House to choose dele¬ 
gates to the Provincial Congress, and that body con¬ 
vened there after leaving New York City upon the 
entry of the British Army, from July ninth to 
twenty-ninth, 1776. It was on the third day of 
this session in White Plains that the Declaration of 
Independence was formally read from the steps of 
the building by Judge John Thomas. 

White Plains in the heart of the county command¬ 
ed the two principal routes to New England, the 
one over the old “Westchester Path” and along the 
Sound shore to Boston and the other via the turn¬ 
pike from New York to Bennington, Vermont, 
through Danbury and Dover. 

Howe at the head of his troops victorious at the 
Battle of Long Island having gained possession of 
Manhattan, now planned to outflank Washington’s 
little army encamped about Kingsbridge, and, by 
gaining control of Westchester County, cut the 

21 ‘ 


Americans off from the prosperous New England 
Colonies, at that time the main source of military 
supplies. 

The ever alert General Washington foresaw this 
design and determined to frustrate it, if possible. 
If he could get his troops in good order up to the 
rugged hills above White Plains, his position would 
be well nigh impregnable, even though Howe should 
attack with his superior forces. 

As early as the latter part of August a quantity 
of military stores and provisions had been sent up 
to White Plains for safety, and later more from 
Harlem Heights, and were guarded by a body of 
three hundred militia men. 

While the Americans held their strong positions 
on Harlem Heights with General Heath’s Division 
at Kingsbridge, they were busy establishing fortified 
positions and entrenched camps, but Washington 
saw full well that if Howe should land his troops 
from either the Hudson River or Long Island 
Sound, and gain a position to the north of the 
American forces the latter would be completely cut 
off from supplies and help. Washington according¬ 
ly gave orders for putting in better order the roads 
over which he expected to move his troops and sup¬ 
plies, and also caused obstructions such as felled 
trees and dug pits to be placed in the supposed way 
of the British advance. He discussed plans with 
his staff for moving his army northward to outwit 
this obvious flank movement of the enemy and to 
protect the important points above the Sound. 

Work in the camp went forward and supplies 
were sent on as fast as possible, but there was woful 
lack of means of transportation—in many cases the 
soldiers had to draw the baggage and guns by hand. 
Scanty as the supplies were some had to be left be¬ 
hind for this reason, as we learn from Lieut.-Col. 


22 


Tilghman’s letter of the twenty-first to William 
Duer. He writes, urging the immediate forwarding 
of food-stuffs and says they were obliged to leave 
eighty or ninety barrels of flour at Kingsbridge be¬ 
cause of lack of means to transport them. Wash¬ 
ington also wrote to the Commissary General en¬ 
treating once more that the much needed supplies be 
forwarded at once, especially beef and flour. 

As General Howe moved his troops up from New 
York, leaving a strong force to occupy the city, 
Washington crossed from Harlem to Kingsbridge. 
The Hessian troops had landed on Throgg’s Point 
on the twelfth and remained encamped there for 
several days. Howe’s own troops landed there and 
later on Pell’s Point. 

Washington was constantly on the watch for some 
unexpected movement of the enemy and was taking 
every precaution to guard against a surprise. He 
sent out advance parties to hold the vantage points 
along the west side of the Bronx River, and on the 
twenty-second moved up to the Valentine House 
(now destroyed) near Yonkers where the present 
St. Joseph’s Seminary now stands. He made a tour 
of inspection extending as far north as White Plains 
on the twenty-first and dated several letters and or¬ 
ders from there. 

As General Lord Howe proceeded slowly toward 
Upper New Rochelle, Washington’s army ad¬ 
vanced in a parallel line, keeping always on the 
west side of the Bronx. The vital question was: 
Who should reach White Plains first? 

No doubt the Patriot Army despite the lack of 
equipment and supplies was inspired and encouraged 
by its General’s stirring address to the troops the 
week before, for they pressed on while Howe’s 
army camped at New Rochelle. On the twenty- 
second the Commander-in-Chief returned to White 


23 


Plains and established his headquarters at the Mil¬ 
ler House. The previous night Colonel Haslet was 
sent with a detachment to attack the Queen’s Ran¬ 
gers at Mamaroneck. The surprise was not as suc¬ 
cessful as it was hoped, owing to a blunder of the 
guides, but Haslet’s men killed and wounded a num¬ 
ber and brought thirty-six prisoners to White Plains, 
together with “a pair of colors, sixty stand of arms 
and a good many blankets.” General Sterling ex¬ 
pressed himself as highly pleased with the expedi¬ 
tion, and “thanked Col. Haslet and his command 
publickly on parade.” 

On the afternoon of Thursday, the twenty-fourth, 
Howe’s army began to move from the camp at New 
Rochelle to Scarsdale and on the twenty-fifth the 
main body of the Royal Army had come up. Howe’s 
left column was on a line with the Bronx, where 
across the little river General Lee was toiling with 
his column heavily laden with baggage and stores, 
pressing on to join the main American Army at 
White Plains. As the two columns were only about 
a mile apart and at times were visible to each other, 
Lee was aware of the danger of his being cut off by 
the enemy and so made a detour to the westward and 
came up by the Dobbs Ferry Road. By marching 
all night he reached White Plains at ten the next 
morning. 

After the necessary preparations were made, 
Howe early on the morning of Monday, the twenty- 
eighth, broke camp and in two columns advanced 
to White Plains. The left advance column was 
mainly Hessian troops, who attacked a party of 
Americans under Major-General Spencer at Hart’s 
Corners. He was sent out by General Washington 
to retard the advance of the enemy, but was forced 
to retreat. The oncoming Hessians seeing that 
Chatterton Hill was occupied by American soldiers 


24 


directed their attack toward that point, where some 
entrenchments had been hastily thrown up. 

The main body of the British continued to ad¬ 
vance toward White Plains, the right flank reaching 
to the old Mamaroneck Road and the left to the 
Bronx River. It seemed as if Howe were contem¬ 
plating a general attack on the American front. 

As it was against the military ideas of that time 
to allow the flank or rear of an army to be jeopard¬ 
ized in the slightest degree without all possible and 
immediate attempt to remove the opposing troops, 
it is probable that Howe postponed his general at¬ 
tack until the enemy on Chatterton Hill should be 
disposed of, especially as his right wing extended 
only to about opposite the American center. 

The troops on Chatterton Hill in a sharply con¬ 
tested engagement several times repulsed the at¬ 
tacks of the enemy, but were finally driven from 
their position and forced to retreat. They rejoined 
the main army, and the Hessian troops remained 
in possession of the hill, making no attempt to 
pursue the retreating Americans. Instead, they 
formed and dressed their lines and prepared their 
dinner. They tore down a barn belonging to Jacob 
Hunt on the west side of the hill to feed their 
campfires. 

After the battle on the twenty-eighth, General 
Howe seems to have become faint-hearted; he spent 
two days entrenching his camp and waiting for re¬ 
inforcements. This delay gave Washington time 
to move his troops back to the rugged hills of 
North Castle and to further entrench himself. On 
the night of October thirty-first during a heavy 
rainstorm his army swung north and on the morning 
of November first Howe gave orders for the occupa¬ 
tion of the abandoned lines of the Americans. 

On account of the severe rain the project was 


25 



































given up; however, on the same day a heavy body 
from the British right moved against the Ameri¬ 
cans’ extreme left which consisted of General 
Heath’s division. After some firing on both sicies 
nothing decisive occurred, and the downpour of rain 
continuing, the British gave up the attack. Heath’s 
division was at this time stationed on the steep 
ridge north of Lake Street and cannon balls have 
been found in the vicinity. 

General Washington meanwhile had taken a posi¬ 
tion whence he could defy attack, and thoroughly 
secured his lines of communication with the North 
and East. Howe made no further attempt to fol¬ 
low up the advantage gained on the twenty-eighth 
other than the skirmish of November first just 
mentioned, and on November fourth and fifth he 
broke camp and marched to Dobbs Ferry where 
he encamped on the sixth. 

General Howe’s unexpected withdrawal from 
White Plains has been a topic of much speculation, 
but some tidings he had received from Earl Percy, 
the British Commander in New York City, a day 
or two before probably influenced the sudden move¬ 
ment. Colonel Magaw was at that time in com¬ 
mand of Fort Washington, and on November sec¬ 
ond his Adjutant, William De Mont, left the fort 
and conveyed to Earl Percy plans of the fortifica¬ 
tions and full information as to the garrison and 
stores. The news was immediately forwarded to 
Howe at White Plains and he at once prepared 
to countermarch and on the sixteenth attacked and 
took Fort Washington. The garrison being com¬ 
pletely surrounded by greatly superior numbers 
was compelled to surrender; twenty-eight hundred 
men were taken prisoners, together with forty-three 
guns and a large quantity of supplies. This loss was 
a severe blow to Washington. 


27 


During the early days of the month he was 
actively engaged in visiting all parts of his army 
and planning for their best disposition. On Wed¬ 
nesday, November sixth, he wrote from his Head¬ 
quarters at the Miller House to the President of 
Congress: “Yesterday morning the enemy made a 
sudden and unexpected movement from the several 
points they had taken in our front. They broke 
up their whole encampment the preceding night and 
have advanced toward Kingsbridge and the North 
River. In consequence of this movement I called a 
council of general officers today to consult on such 
measures as should be adopted in case they pur¬ 
sued their retreat to New York.” 

The General also said: “I am happy to inform 
you that in the engagement of Monday sen’night I 
have reason to believe our loss was by no means 
so considerable as was conjectured at first.” 

Washington’s army at this time totaled about 
twenty-five thousand men, but at the time of the 
Battle of White Plains not many more than one-half 
the number were available for active duty. Many 
were ill, some on furloughs and others detached 
for duty at other posts. Colonel Harrison, the 
General’s secretary at White Plains, writes on No¬ 
vember third: “We have just received word from 
General Parsons who is still stationed with his bri¬ 
gade at Saw Pits (Port Chester) that a large body 
of the enemy have advanced within a mile of him. 
He is on his march to meet ’em and requests some 
troops to be sent to maintain the lines he has 
thrown up.” 

During the occupation of White Plains the terms 
of enlistment of many of the Connecticut troops ex¬ 
pired. On November third General Washington 
ordered the discharge of the Light Horse under 
Major Backus of whom he spoke in high praise— 


28 


“Their conduct has been extremely good and the 
services they have rendered of great advantage to 
their country.” 

From Headquarters he wrote to General Lee: 
“Before White Plains . . . The late movement of 
the enemy and the probability of their having de¬ 
signs upon the Jerseys (confirmed by sundry ac¬ 
counts from deserters and prisoners) rendering it 
necessary to throw a body of troops over the North 
River, I shall immediately follow and the command 
of the army which remains (after Gen. Heath’s 
Division marches to Peekskill) will devolve upon 
you.” 

Washington left the Miller House on the tenth 
and the next day wrote from Peekskill to the Presi¬ 
dent of Congress: “I left White Plains about 
eleven o’clock yesterday. All peace there. The 
enemy appeared to be preparing for their expedition 
to Jersey according to every information. What 
their designs are, or whether their present conduct 
is not a feint, I cannot determine. The Maryland 
and Virginia troops under Lord Sterling have 
crossed the river as have part of those from the 
Jerseys; the remainder are now embarking. The 
troops judged necessary to secure the Highlands 
have also got up. I am going to examine the passes 
and direct such works as may appear necessary; 
after which, and making the best disposition I can 
of things in this quarter, I intend to proceed to 
Jersey, which I expect to do tomorrow.” 

About one thousand feet of entrenchments can 
still be traced on Hatfield Hill to the northeast of 
White Plains, by which it will be seen that the 
Headquarters were very close to the lines of the 
army. Washington was constantly on horseback, 
exploring, inspecting and planning, and inspiring 
his troops by his presence. 

29 



30 


DRUM CARRIED AT BATTLE OF WHITE PLAINS — CANNON BALL AND BAYONET 
FOUND ON BATTLEFIELD OF WHITE PLAINS, 1776 - 
U. S. ARMY BUTTONS. 1778 



















It was not until November fifth, the evening after 
the British troops had marched to Dobbs Ferry, 
that a party of American soldiers under Major 
Austin set fire to the Court House, the Presbyterian 
Church and several residences. This wanton act 
was severely condemned by the Commander-in- 
Chief and Major Austin was court martialed and 
dismissed from the service. The day after the 
building was burned, Washington expressed himself 
at Headquarters as follows: “It is with the utmost 
astonishment and abhorrence the General is in¬ 
formed that some base and cowardly wretches, last 
night set fire to the Court House and other buildings 
which the enemy left. The army may rely upon it 
that they shall be brought to justice and meet the 
punishment they deserve.” 

The army began to move northward on Novem¬ 
ber ninth and General Washington followed as has 
been said on the tenth. Lee remained at White 
Plains until the first of December, notwithstanding 
Washington’s orders to reinforce him in New Jer¬ 
sey. 

After the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, 
the British retreated toward Sandy Hook, while 
Washington led his army north through the Jerseys 
and crossed the Hudson at King’s Ferry connecting 
Stony Point with Verplanck's Point between Croton 
and Peekskill in Westchester County. The design 
of this move was similar to the one of 1776, 
namely, to prevent the enemy from penetrating the 
country above New York City and gaining control 
of the gateway to New England and the north. 

On Monday, July 20th, 1778, the main body of 
the American Army was again at White Plains, and 
Washington on the 25th was at his old Headquar¬ 
ters. 

He chose this situation as he had done two years 


earlier because it controlled the roads to the Eastern 
States on the one hand and on the other, the High¬ 
lands and upper country, and because in case of de¬ 
feat he could retire to the steep and rocky hills of 
North Castle and lead the army east or west as the 
occasion might require. As one looks today at those 
rugged heights the wisdom of choosing this strategic 
position is easily realized. On August twentieth 
Washington wrote to General Nelson: “It is not 
a little pleasing nor less wonderful to contem¬ 
plate, that after two years of manoeuvering and un¬ 
dergoing the strangest vicissitudes that perhaps ever 
attended any one contest since the creation, both 
armies are brought back to the very point they set 
out from, and that which was the offending party 
in the beginning is now reduced to the use of spade 
and pickaxe for defense. The hand of Providence 
has been so conspicuous in all this that he must be 
worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than 
w r icked that has not gratitude to acknowledge his 
obligations.” 

Washington wrote to Gouveneur Morris on July 
twenty-fourth saying: “It is neither the expense or 
trouble of them (the foreign officers.) that I dread; 
there is an evil more extreme in its nature and fatal 
in its consequences to be apprehended, and that is 
the drawing of all our officers out of the service and 
throwing not only our army but our military councils 
entirely into the hands of foreigners.” 

Some weeks later he wrote to General Sullivan: 
“I intend to place the whole army in such a position 
in a day or two that they may either march to the 
Eastward, or be within supporting distance of the 
posts upon the North River as appearances may 
require.” 

Washington remained in White Plains until the 
sixteenth of September, when he moved the camp 


32 


to Fredericksburg, then a precinct of Dutchess 
County, where he had his headquarters in the present 
town of Patterson. Governor Clinton and General 
Gates were also in White Plains during the summer 
of 1778. 

A quotation from a letter to the Board of War, 
dated August third, says: “Our strength on the 
present ground is less than 13,000,” but General 
Heath about this time writes from Boston that the 
army at White Plains was said to number 20,000 
men, which was probably the largest assemblage of 
troops during the war. 

The following items from General Washington’s 
expense account with the United States gives an 
idea of the cost of war quite different from the 
vast sums necessary to carry on the fighting in these 
days. 

“Aug. 1778. 

“To sundry expenditures on the March 
of the Army from Valley Forge June 
18th (by way of Monmouth) till its 
arrival at the White Plains the latter 
end of July... $3,240 

“Sept. 1178. 

“To cash paid in Reconnoitering the 
County abv the Plains betw’n the 
No. and East Rivers. 133.00” 

In the summer of 1781 Washington was again at 
White Plains. When the French troops hastened 
down from Newport, Rhode Island via Newtown, 
Bedford and White Plains to Eastchester to form 
a junction with the American forces near Kings- 
bridge, the plan was to cut off the light corps of 
British and Loyalists that had been harassing the 
Patriots. 

The French troops reached Bedford on July sec¬ 
ond and the Legion of the Due de Lauzun made a 


33 




forced march in advance of the others and reached 
Eastchester very early on the morning of the third. 
Washington had hurried down from Peekskill and 
joined the advance detachment of the French, but 
the well-planned expedition against Kingsbridge and 
New York was not successful. 

That evening Washington wrote from Valentine’s 
Hill, Yonkers, to Comte de Rochambeau, who had 
reached North Castle or White Plains: “The 
operations of the day are over and I am sorry to say 
that I have not had the happiness to succeed to my 
wishes, although I think very essential benefit will 
result to our future operations from the opportunity 
I have had in a very full measure to reconnoiter the 
position and works of the enemy on the north end 
of York Island. 

“The American Army and the Legion of the Due 
de Lauzun will march tomorrow to White Plains. 

“If it will be convenient to you, I shall be happy 
to receive your Excellency with your troops at 
that place the day after tomorrow.” 

On the fourth of July he left Valentine’s Hill and 
took up a position a little to the left of Dobbs Ferry 
and, as he says in his journal, “marked a camp for 
the French Army upon our left. Due de Lauzun 
marched to White Plains and Gen. Waterbury to 
Horseneck” (Greenwich). 

By this time the main body of the French troops 
under Rochambeau had come down from Bedford 
to North Castle, and it is probable they encamped 
temporarily on the old ground of the American 
camp of the year before; and perhaps Comte de 
Rochambeau had his quarters in the Miller House 
always so ready to open its doors to those fighting 
for the Patriots’cause. The Comte wrote to General 
Washington on the fourth saying: “I arrived here 
with the first brigade yesterday at nine o’clock in 


34 


the morning. The second brigade by a forced 
march joined me in the afternoon, and we are now 
here all together ready to execute your orders. I 
wait with the greatest impatience to hear from you 
and the Due de Lauzun.” The Due had advanced 
to White Plains and had his Headquarters in the 
Falconer House on Broadway, where he remained 
for about six weeks. This was the home of Captain 
John Falconer of the American Army, and was the 
scene of many activities, numbers of notable French 
and American officers having been entertained there. 
The house remained standing until 1882 when it was 
demolished. 

General Washington’s visit on the fifth of July 
was an occasion of considerable ceremony. He had 
sent word in advance of his coming, as is shown in 
his letter of July third, quoted above, and the gal¬ 
lant French officers mounted their horses and rode 
forward to meet him as he approached White 
Plains. He visited the French camp, dined with 
Rochambeau and his staff and in the evening upon 
his return journey was again accompanied by an es¬ 
cort of French officers for several miles, when they 
took leave of him. 

Washington’s Headquarters were then at the 
Joseph Appleby House on the Dobbs Ferry Road 
about three and one-half miles from the Hudson. 
The house, which was destroyed some years ago, 
stood on a small elevation called Washington’s Hill. 

The day following, July sixth, Rochambeau broke 
camp and marched to join the main body of the 
Americans at Phillipsburgh twelve miles from 
Kingsbridge. The Comte went into Headquarters 
at the Odell House still to be seen in the present 
Town of Greenburgh about one and one-half miles 
west of Central Avenue on the south branch of the 
road leading over the hill from Hart’s Corners. 

35 



CHAIR USED BY GENERAL WASHINGTON 
HIS STAY IN THE MILLER HOUSE 



DURING 


36 





The French lines extended from the American right 
east to Chatterton Hill, their left being supported 
by the Due de Lauzun at White Plains. 

General Greene was also at White Plains from 
July twenty-first to the twenty-eighth, when he de¬ 
parted for Providence. He speaks of Lafayette’s 
troops being at White Plains at this time. 

The allied armies held the position in Greenburgh 
and White Plains until the twenty-sixth of August, 
when the great movement was started that was to 
result in the capitulation of Cornwallis at Yorktown 
less than two months later. 

Washington’s expense account has this entry on 
August 28, 1781: 

“To expenditures on my March from ye White 
Plains or Dobbs Ferry by way of King’s Ferry to 
Brunswick inclusive—38£ 15s Od.” 

On September twenty-seventh of the following 
year we find that “Gen. Washington with an escort 
of dragoons and light infantry reconnoitered the 
grounds on the east side of the (Hudson) River be¬ 
low the White Plains, and on the twenty-ninth re¬ 
turned to camp (at Verplanck’s Point). They went 
down as far as Philipsburgh, thence across to the 
Sound.” 

Thus it will be seen that the great Commander- 
in-Chief was in White Plains at least three and 
probably five or more times during the Revolution, 
and that many other famous generals with their 
divisions were stationed here from time to time. 


37 





III. 


THE MILLER FAMILY. 

Miller family record states that “Ensign 
■ ^ J John Miller emigrated from Holland to 

the British Colonies of North America 
about the year 1680. He located in the County of 
Westchester and possessed all the land from the 
north line of the Rural Cemetery bounded on the 
west by the Bronx River, northeasterly by the Bronx 
and the land of William Davis; about two miles in 
length by a half mile in breadth, containing about 
six hundred acres.” 

However, upon careful research of town, county 
and church records, this does not seem to be alto¬ 
gether correct, and the line of John Miller, who 
settled in Bedford, has probably been confused with 
the Millers of Rye and later of North Castle. 

According to Baird’s History of Rye, and the 
family historian, Robert B. Miller, the ancestor of 
the Millers of North Castle and White Plains was 
James who came from Norwalk, Conn., to Rye 
which was then a part of Fairfield County, Connec¬ 
ticut. He and his wife Martha were recorded 
December 26, 1681, as holding land on Budd’s 
Neck, Rye, “near the Old Westchester Path.” In 
1701 the Rye records show that “the towne hath 
granted by a voat unto James Miller tenn eakers 
of land within the White Plains purches to be Layd 
out by those layers out which was chosen to lay out 
the White Plaines to the best of their descretion.” 
He is mentioned as living in 1708. The sons of 
James were Abraham who settled in Saw Pit (now 
Portchester), Samuel of Rye, and Anthony of 


39 


White Plains, who had land lying on both sides of 
the White Plains-North Castle line, and perhaps 
John. It is evident from the records that part of 
the first Anthony’s lands came to him from his 
father James, and part was later granted him by 
the town of Rye. Deeds show that Anthony, Sr’s 
land ran from Cranberry Pond in North Castle 
down to Great Meadow Brook in White Plains 
and aggregated about six hundred acres, as tradi¬ 
tion asserts. He built a fulling mill on the Great 
Meadow Brook near where it flows into the Bronx 
River, and the said mill and brook are designated 
in the Royal Patent of White Plains in 1721, the 
westerly line of the survey of the new town extend¬ 
ing along the Bronx to “seventeen chains above An¬ 
thony Miller’s fulling mill.” The mill and southern 
portion of the estate descended to Anthony Miller, 
Jr., and his original house is believed to be the one 
still standing near the brook. 

The sons of the first Anthony were James, Abra¬ 
ham, Elijah and Anthony, Jr. 

It was Elijah, the third son, born May 8, 1728, 
who inherited the portion of land on which the 
homestead stood. He married Ann Fisher, the 
daughter of a neighbor; their seven children were 
Sarah, Martha, Zipporah, James, Elijah, John and 
Abraham. Elijah Miller was a Lieutenant in the 
French and Indian Wars and joined the Patriot 
Army early in the struggle for liberty. On October 
twenty-seventh, 1775, he was appointed by Nathan¬ 
iel Woodhull, President of the Provincial Congress 
of New York, Adjutant of a regiment of Westches¬ 
ter County Militia under Col. Samuel Drake. 

He was wounded at Hurlgate a few weeks after 
the Declaration of Independence had been read 
from the old Court House, and was brought to his 
home where he passed away on the twenty-first of 


40 


August, 1776. It has been said that he died at 
Hurlgate, but as means of transportation were often 
unavailable, soldiers were generally buried where 
they died, and as Adjutant Miller was buried in 
the Presbyterian Churchyard in White Plains, it is 
more probable that he died in his own home. Two 
of his sons also served in the Revolution. These 
were John and Elijah, Jr., who both died on De¬ 
cember 22nd, 1776, of disease contracted in camp. 

Ann Miller lived a long life of usefulness and saw 
her grandchildren and great grandchildren grow¬ 
ing up around her. She died at the advanced age 
of ninety-two, full of faith and good works. It was 
one of her last requests that four of her grandsons 
who were named Elijah after her departed husband, 
should carry her to the grave. Five children sur¬ 
vived her, two sons, Elijah and John, having died 
before their mother. 

Elijah willed his property to be sold and £200 
to go to his wife Ann as her third of the estate, the 
remainder to be divided among his sons and daugh¬ 
ters, the boys to have double portions. The proper¬ 
ty did not go out of the family, however, and the 
homestead was left to James, son of Elijah and 
Ann, by the will of his mother who died in 1819. 
James died in 1839 and devised his property to 
his wife, Rachel, and two sons, Isaac and John, and 
daughters, Mary, Sally and Ann. Isaac conveyed 
his interest to John and Ann and Mary, wife of 
Archibald Martine. A map of the farm made in 
1839 shows that it then contained one hundred acres. 
Mary and Archibald Martine conveyed to John and 
Ann Miller in 1855. John died in 1862, leaving 
his one-half interest to his two sisters, Ann and 
Mary, and to two brothers, Isaac and Robert, and 
his niece, Henrietta Oakley. In 1863 these five 
people conveyed to Samuel Roe, who in 1869 con- 


41 








» 


DINING ROOM 















veyed to Elizabeth L. Roe, and she in turn sold to 
George W. Sutton in 1885. After Mr. Sutton’s 
death in 1894, his executors sold to Arthur L. Col¬ 
lins in 1903. Collins the next year conveyed to the 
New Netherland Realty Company, who mapped 
the land and subdivided it. The Company sold the 
portion containing the Miller homestead to Julia 
Kaiser in 1905 and on July 3, 1917, Mrs. Kaiser 
conveyed the house with about an acre and a quarter 
of ground to the County of Westchester. 

When Washington came to White Plains in 1776, 
the recently bereaved widow, Ann Miller, proved 
herself a worthy soldier’s wife. She opened her 
house to the General and his staff and also took 
care of soldiers wounded in battle. 

One poor fellow, we are told, had his tongue 
shot out and she fed him carefully with her own 
hands, but notwithstanding her care, he died. 

One pauses to wonder how so many people be¬ 
side her own large family could have been accom¬ 
modated in Mrs. Miller’s small farm house. Per¬ 
sonal inconvenience is not to be considered in war 
time and any patriotic family of those days might 
have been glad and proud to have the honor of 
sharing their home temporarily with the Comman- 
der-in-Chief. 

The Methodist Magazine of December, 1819, 
speaking of the Miller place in 1776, says “the land 
was covered with tents.” This partially explains 
the situation. The aides and members of Washing¬ 
ton’s military family often slept in tents pitched 
near the house which the General occupied. This 
we know was the arrangement at the Stone House 
at Bound Brook and at Morristown and other 
places; and doubtless in the autumn of 1776 the 
sheltered valley was full of camps as well as the 
surrounding hillsides. 


43 


It has been said by some writers that when Wash¬ 
ington came up from Valentine’s Hill, he spent his 
first night in White Plains at a house in the village 
and went on to the Miller House on the twenty- 
fourth. Baker says:. “He (Washington) estab¬ 
lished himself at White Plains on the twenty-third;’’ 
so it seems more than probable that he went directly 
to his chosen headquarters. 

Another interesting fact about the Miller House 
is that it may be called the Home of Methodist 



TABLE USED BY GENERAL WASHINGTON DURING 
HIS STAY IN THE MILLER HOUSE 


Organization in White Plains. During the Revolu¬ 
tion no regular services were held here, but very 
soon after the war, little companies gathered from 
time to time in private houses to worship. The 
principal one met at the home of Mrs. Ann Miller. 

When the New Rochelle Circuit was organized 
in 1787, Mrs. Miller’s was one of the regular ap- 


44 






pointments on the circuit; the preacher was the Rev. 
Samuel Talbot and he began with six members. 
Hither came Francis Asbury to preach to the little 
band of faithful ones. In 1792 or thereabout six 
new members were added, three of whom, Abraham 
Miller, Abraham Davis and John Hatfield, were 
men of influence and by their efforts the society 
grew strong. The First Methodist Church was in¬ 
corporated in 1795, and the first church building 
was erected at the corner of Broadway and the old 
Tarrytown Road, and the old churchyard forms part 
of the present Rural Cemetery. 


45 


1 - 






ilPIv •; 





- • 


SECOND FLOOR BEDROOM RESTORED AND REFURNISHED BY MRS. 




















IV. 


THE HOUSE AND ITS CONTENTS. 


C HE exact date of the building of the Miller 
House cannot be ascertained. When James 
Miller or his son settled on the land about 
the year 1680,* it is probable that his first task 
was to make a clearing in the woods and to build 
a log cabin of the trees he must needs cut down. 

Part of the present structure, the east end, was 
built about 1738. Its style resembles that of the 
Rhode Island farmhouses of the period. It nestles 
close to the hill which rises abruptly at the east end. 
The house faces south with a porch across the front, 
and the entrance door opens directly into a large 
room, probably the family living room, and back 
of this is another good-sized room, the dining room 
and kitchen of ancient times. Here is the old stone 
fire-place with pot hooks and narrow mantel shelf. 
Stairs ascend at the west side to an open attic. 

Opening from the kitchen on the east was the 
buttery with its floor and walls of native stone often 
diligently white washed by the successive housewives 
of the family, and here were the broad shelves 
which held the crocks of milk and trays of golden 
butter. At the right of the living room were two 
small bedrooms. 

About 1770 the addition was built on the west end 
of the house, giving it its present style and appear- 


*Note —It would seem, from the town records, that James 
did not leave his home in Rye to live upon his lands to the 
north, but that his son Anthony was the first of the family to 
settle near the upper boundary of White Plains, probably not 
long after the grant of 1701, the latter’s fulling mill being an 
established landmark in 1721. 


47 


V 




48 


WASHINGTON S ROOM. SHOWING CHAIR HE USED DURING HIS OCCUPANCY 













ance. The rafters in the attic show where the new 
part was joined to the earlier structure and the 
wood has a different shade. At Mr. Welch’s sug¬ 
gestion a small section was cut from the west end 
of the original house, now the east wall of the new 
rooms of 1770, which shows the ancient hand-made 
shingles that covered what was once the outside of 
the house. The section of boards removed from the 
wall was made into a small door and replaced, so 
that visitors may open it and look at these shingles. 

A small piece of wall was also cut from over the 
doorway leading from the entrance or living room 
into the new west room, and a glass placed over the 
opening, thus showing the old mud mortar. The 
later part consists of two rooms downstairs and two 
finished and plastered rooms in the second story. 

The broad planks of the floors, the hand-hewn 
beams and rafters, the wrought iron hinges and 
old-fashioned locks all give silent evidence of the 
antiquity of the house. The Dutch style half-door 
at the front entrance has been restored. 

The two downstairs rooms in the newer part of 
the house were the ones occupied by General Wash¬ 
ington during his stay with the Millers. The large 
front one was his sitting room where he held his 
staff councils, and the one next was probably his bed¬ 
room. The rear room had a door opening on a 
north porch which was a convenient arrangement, 
permitting ingress and egress of the aides and others 
without interfering with the hostess and her family. 
A chimney is built at the west end in a way that 
permits of a fireplace in each of the apartments. 
Up through the throat of the old chimney, what gen¬ 
erous fires must have roared a cheerful welcome 
to the tired soldier on the chilly autumn nights when 
he returned to headquarters after a hard day in the 
saddle reconnoitering, inspecting and inspiring his 


49 

















LIVING ROOM 

















troops with his own dauntless courage and forti¬ 
tude! 

A writer in a New York newspaper of 1845 thus 
describes a visit to the house when it was still occu¬ 
pied by descendants of Elijah and Ann Miller: 
“When we entered the room of Mrs. Miller’s farm¬ 
house where that great and good man had resided 
and where he resolved to try the hazard of a battle 
with a flushed and victorious foe, we could not re¬ 
press the enthusiasm which the place and the mo¬ 
ment and the memory inspired. We looked around 
with eagerness at each portion of the room on which 
his eye must have rested; we gazed through the 
small windowpanes through which he must so often 
and so anxiously have looked toward the enemy; 
and at the old-fashioned buffets where his table- 
service was deposited for his accommodation. But 
little change has taken place in the building, and 
its amiable and patriotic inmates have shown their 
respect for the hero by placing on the walls his por¬ 
trait and several representations of his last days at 
Mt. Vernon.” 

By the buffet above mentioned is probably meant 
the cupboard with glass doors built into the corner 
of the Council room. The glasses in the doors of 
this cupboard were cracked by the concussion of 
the cannon firing during one of the engagements in 
the vicinity and were left unrepaired as a memento 
of the time. A later owner moved by a spirit of 
renovation caused the broken panes to be removed 
and new glass to be placed in the cupboard doors; 
she was much chagrined to learn afterwards how 
the old panes had been shattered and why they had 
been left in that state. 

Other relics still preserved by members of the 
Miller family are an Indian knife, dug up on the 
farm in 1705, various arrow heads and stone hatch- 


51 


ets, grim souvenirs of Wampus and his tribes; also 
buttons from soldiers’ uniforms found over a hun¬ 
dred years ago and sundry bullets and cannon balls; 
but above all these, the objects of the greatest care 
and veneration are the mahogany drop-leaf table 
used by the great General and the chair on which 
he was wont to sit when in the Miller House. The 
chair has a rush seat and a high fiddle back. These 
are now the property of Mrs. Henrietta Oakley of 
White Plains. 

As people often came to see Washington’s Head¬ 
quarters the Millers kept a visitors’ book for many 
years, and this register contains a long list of those 
who journeyed to the historic house and wrote their 
names therein. Upon the opening of the building to 
the public on October twenty-seventh, 1917, a new 
book was opened by Mrs. Charles Whitman, wife 
of the Governor of New York State, she being the 
first to inscribe her name and other guests followed 
her example. The pen used on this occasion was 
the one with which the Governor signed the bill 
authorizing the County to buy the Headquarters, 
and is now framed and hangs on the wall in the 
entrance room. 

Near the east or rear end of the house an interest¬ 
ing earth cellar is built into the steep side of the hill. 
The arched roof is supported by immense slabs of 
stone. This cellar is really a good-sized storage 
room and was built to contain the family supplies, 
to keep them cool in the summer and from freezing 
in the winter. Here it is said that ammunition was 
stored by Washington’s orders during the time the 
army was encamped in the neighborhood. 

Probably the oldest object of interest on the 
grounds is the magnificent sycamore tree that stands 
near the northwest corner of the house and towers 


52 



WEST VIEW OF HEADQUARTERS, SHOWING 
ANCIENT SYCAMORE TREE 




































far above it.* There it stood in its sturdy youth in 
view of our beloved General as he looked from the 
windows of his temporary home, and today it stands 
as a guard of honor before the ancient dwelling 
dedicated to his memory. Brave and strong and 
mighty this beautiful old tree stretches forth its far 
spreading branches as if to protect the famous house 
below. They have grown old together—the little 
white house and the veteran tree, but we hope and 
trust they may long be preserved to gladden the 
eyes of all beholders, and to link us to the past by 
the glorious memories they recall. 

*Note —This tree received the second prize given by New 
York State for historic trees, and is recorded in the Hall of 
Fame for Trees in Washington, D. C. 


54 



V. 


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 


^w^ITHOUT the co-operation of the Board of 
W I j Supervisors of Westchester County, it 
\|/ would not have been possible at this time 
to have purchased the historic Headquarters House 
from the private owner and to have opened it to the 
public which is indebted to the Board for the priv¬ 
ilege of visiting the house and examining the inter¬ 
esting relics of by-gone days on exhibition therein. 

Especially, are thanks due to Mr. Robert P. 
Smith, one of the White Plains Supervisors, who 
placed the petition of the White Plains Chapter, 
Daughters of the American Revolution, before the 
Board and aided in various ways the passage of a 
favorable resolution by that body; and to Senator 
George A. Slater, who presented to the State Legis¬ 
lature the bill empowering the county to buy the 
property; and to Governor Whitman for signing 
the bill and making it an Act. 

Great credit is due the Regent, Mrs. J. T. Lock- 
wood, and the officers and members of the Chapter 
who started the movement by securing an option 
on the property and who worked indefatigably to 
further the consummation of the project and restore 
the house and grounds. 

We are deeply grateful to Mr. Alexander Mc¬ 
Millan Welch for his great help in the work of res¬ 
toration. His kindly interest and expert advice 
were of inestimable service; and to him also thanks 
are due for the appropriate sign at the gate and 
for specimens of Colonial hardware used in the 
house. 


55 


Mr. Thomas F. Foley also ably assisted in the 
work of renovating the building. 

The Empire State Society, Sons of the American 
Revolution, has generously presented a Liberty-pole 
and beautiful flag to the Headquarters. Colonel 
W. Lanier Washington, a great-great-great-grand- 
nephew of General Washington, has given a portrait 
of Mary Ball Washington, General Washington’s 
mother, which is greatly prized. 

Thanks to the hearty interest of various friends, 
many Revolutionary and other relics and antique 
furniture have been presented or loaned to the 
house. Among these friends are Miss Anna Sher¬ 
wood, a descendant of the original owner, who has 
kindly given a homespun woolen blanket that once 
belonged to Mrs. Ann Miller, the hostess of Gen¬ 
eral Washington; Mrs. H. M. Oakley, the donor 
of a Windsor armchair used in the house at the 
time of the great man’s occupancy; Mrs. Frank L. 
Park and other descendants of Elijah and Ann Mil¬ 
ler for restoring the front entrance door. Another 
armchair used by Washington in this house was 
donated by Mr. R. Guy McLean, and one loaned by 
Mr. C. F. Halsted of Brooklyn. 

Mrs. Mary Baldwin, a granddaughter of Isaac 
Webber, a patriot of Revolutionary times, has given 
to the Headquarters a mirror brought from Holland 
over two hundred years ago by the first members of 
the Webber family who came to this country. Dur¬ 
ing the Revolution, it belonged to Isaac Webber, 
who lived near North Castle. When his home was 
looted by the British, this glass, with other treasures, 
was safely hidden between the board partitions. 
After the War it was taken from its hiding place 
and has remained in the family ever since until Mrs. 
Baldwin presented it to the Headquarters collection. 

Thanks are also due to Mrs. Charles Osgood and 


56 



her sister Miss Elizabeth Marley for repairing the 
corner cupboard; to Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Lockwood, 
who have loaned and given furniture, pictures, books 
and many smaller objects of great interest; es¬ 
pecially to Mrs. Lockwood, who, beside all her other 
work for the Headquarters, has collected newspaper 
articles, prints, photographs and matter relating to 
the house and work from the time the Chapter se¬ 
cured the option of the purchase to the present date, 
and has placed all these in an attractive scrap-book 
and presented it to the Headquarters, and has also 
completely furnished a bedroom on the second floor; 
to Mrs. Lucien Antoine, who has loaned many 
pieces of antique furniture; and to the numerous 
other persons who have given of their treasures, 
thus adding so greatly to the interest of the house 
as a museum. 

Miss Irene Gedney Horton has kindly numbered 
and catalogued by the card index system all articles 
donated or loaned, thus insuring the identification 
of the smallest as well as the largest object. 

ELIZABETH G. H. COLES, 
Historian, White Plains Chapter, D. A. R. 


57 



VI. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Spark’s Life of Washington. 

Baker’s Itinerary of Washington. 

General Heath’s Memoirs. 

Life of General Greene. 

Lossing’s Field-book of the Revolution. 

Writings of Washington. 

Washington’s Accounts with the United States. 
Scharff’s History of Westchester County. 
Shonnard-Spooner History of Westchester County. 
Bolton’s History of Westchester County. 

Baird’s History of Rye. 

P. H. Smith’s History of Dutchess County. 

Miller Family Records. 

Methodist Magazine of December, 1819. 

Magazine of American History. 

Stephen Jenkins’ Story of the Bronx. 

Albany Book of Patents, No.VIII,pp.432,462,466. 
American Archives. 

Journal of the Provincial Congress, Vol. I, p. 512. 
Records of Deeds and Mortgages, found by the 
research of Mrs. R. D. Bristol. 

The Will of Ann Miller. 

The Will of Elijah Miller. 

N. Y. Gen. and Biog. Magazine, Vol. XXVII, 
No. 3, page 143. 

Miller Family, by Robert B. Miller. 


58 


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